Median fire closes stretch of Florida's Turnpike in Lake County

Lake in brief

A stretch of Florida's Turnpike in Lake County was closed for a little more than an hour this week after a small brush fire in the median resulted in a lot of smoke in the roadway, authorities said.

The fire on Wednesday also burned a grassy area on the east shoulder of the road, Lake County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Jack Fillman said. Firefighters put out the fire in the shoulder and extinguished the blazes in the median.

Lanes for a 17-mile stretch were closed for a period. Southbound lanes reopened first after about a half hour, followed by the northbound lanes about 45 minutes later, the FHP said.

'Shuffleboard Social'

CLERMONT — Who says shuffleboard is just for senior citizens?

Perish the thought, say members of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Club. The club, made up of business men and women under 40, is hosting a Shuffleboard Social from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Kehlor Park at Fifth Street and Minneola Avenue.

Veteran shuffleboard players from the Clermont Recreation Club will be on hand to give pointers to under-40 newcomers at the free activity, according to self-described "hipster" Mikel Jorgensen, the club's chairman and president of Chess Club Media.

Jorgensen lives near the Kehlor Park courts and saw that they had been refurbished. Out of curiosity one Saturday he stopped by to play with some of the regulars. He liked the social aspect of the game.

Marvin "Jake" Jacobson, 78, president of the Clermont Recreation Club, said he welcomes the younger players.

"It's a great strategy game," Jacobson said. "You have to be able to be accurate with the shots, too."

Eloísa Ruano González, Amy Pavuk and Jerry Fallstrom of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.